Build A Small-Block Chevy

Sure, you can build any engine to produce big power, but when you opt for smaller cubes, you have to work so much harder to do the job. Bolting on a blower, a turbo, or nitrous will make your small small-block really hustle, but if you want to pound out power without power adders, big cubes are the way to go.

Recently we wanted to undertake a hefty project: Build a bulletproof, big-cube small-block Chevy that would spit out 600 hp while sipping pump gasoline. No, we're not talking that 100-octane pump stuff, we're talking the 92-octane juice that you can buy at your local Mi-T-Mart gas station. Moreover, the engine had to be tough enough to be driven on the streets without breaking, backfiring, or belching coolant at every stoplight. True, such an engine isn't intended for cross-country long hauls, but it should be able to be regularly punished each weekend.

Building this mill obviously involves using top-quality parts that will likely bruise your wallet, but even so, we’ll use parts that an average schmoe can get from a mail-order outfit or from a local speed shop. We skipped using 18-degree cylinder heads, rods made from unobtainium, and handfabbed induction parts borrowed from a Winston Cup car. Rather, we opted for traditional wares, such as 23-degree aluminum heads, steel rods, and a lumpy roller cam. Did the parts team up to deliver the tons o’ torque? Well, ummm, maybe. OK, here’s the deal: We’re lame. We thrashed to get this story done and, at the last minute, ran out of time to finish the dyno test. Still, we’re confident that the 600-hp-on-pump-gas claim is realistic, and as a guarantee, if the engine barely squeaks out 500 hp, we’ll eat the story. That’s right, we might have to enjoy a lunch consisting of five pages’ worth of engine edit. But for now follow along as we show how E.T. Automotive bolted together our mighty Mouse.